If you’ve spent any time on TikTok recently, you’ve definitely seen it. The "Factory Reset" trend is currently dominating the FYP.
The format is simple: a creator starts the video presenting as visibly queer—sporting short hair, masculine energy, or posing with a same-sex partner. Suddenly, a "glitch" effect hits the screen. When it clears, they’ve been "reset" into hyper-traditional, heteronormative roles. Men reappear in "alpha" masculine styles, and women appear in feminine dresses with long hair, all set to the upbeat strumming of Moira Dela Torre’s Titibo-tibo.
While many users dismiss it as harmless fun, queer activist and content creator Neo sees something much more clinical and cold behind the "Factory Reset" trend. For Neo, the trend isn't just a meme but an indicator of a regression.
@mariia_ligayaa Napalambot din nga talaga ii 🤣🥰💕 yan ang plot twist HAHA 😘 labyu boi @「 SON 」 #factoryreset #trend #titibotibo #fyp ♬ original sound 🏸🇵🇭 - Rico Gargarino
"Factory Reset" Trend
Neo recalls first seeing the trend through a T4T (trans-for-trans) couple. Initially, it felt like a celebration of a queer family breaking gender norms. But as the trend evolved and latched onto Moira Dela Torre’s hit "Titibo-tibo," the tone shifted.
“Naalala ko nung una kong na-encounter yung Trend na ito,” Neo recalls. “Yung unang video na nakita ko was a T4T couple, a trans man and a trans woman who built a family together. It was cute, inspiring. It broke gender stereotypes and norms. As a queer family, it felt affirming.”
But as the trend gained traction, its tone shifted, and so did its implications. “Nung sumabay na yung essence mismo ng kanta ng Titibo-tibo, dun naging sad. Kasi yung kanta mismo parang pinapakita na ang pagiging tomboy ay isang phase lang. Pero mali yun.”
@iceeneoo factory reset ba kamo??? #lgbt #ph ♬ original sound 🏸🇵🇭 - Rico Gargarino
For Neo, the humor never really landed. “Hindi siya funny. Uncomfortable siya bilang isang queer. At alarming siya,” they say. “Kasi mas lalo nitong pinapalakas yung notion na ang pagiging bakla o tomboy ay phase lang, at pwede kang ‘ibalik sa normal.’ Pero ano ba yung normal? Normal ang pagiging bakla. Hindi namin kailangan manumbalik loob.”
Queerness Is Not a Phase
Time and time again, queer communities are forced to repeat a truth that should never have to be defended: queerness is not a phase. This is precisely where the “factory reset” trend strikes a nerve. While it may present itself as lighthearted or ironic, it echoes narratives queer people have long been subjected to—by families, institutions, and even lawmakers. The idea that queerness is temporary, reversible, or in need of correction is not just outdated; it carries real and lasting consequences.
“Ang tagal na nating pinaglalaban ang ating pagkakakilanlan,” Neo explains. “Tapos sa trend na ’to, parang binabaliwala lang yun. Parang sinasabi na phase lang ang SOGIE—sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression,” they shared. “As if walang mga bisexual, pansexual, transgender, at iba pang pagkakakilanlan diba? Like nabubura ang mga ganung pagkatao dahil sa trend na ito.”
What makes the trend especially troubling is how easily it revives these beliefs under the guise of humor. In a country where queer identities are still debated, legislated, and questioned, jokes that frame queerness as something to outgrow don’t exist in a vacuum, but they reinforce the very systems queer people are still fighting to dismantle.
A Threat to Youth and to the Future
Another crucial point often overlooked is how trends like this quietly threaten not just queer identities, but the future of queer youth themselves. The messages absorbed through endless scrolling don’t disappear after the app is closed. They linger, shaping how young people understand who they are allowed to be.
“Ang mensaheng nakikita ng mga kabataan dito,” Neo warns, “maaaring maging masama in the long run. Sa trend na ’to, makikita na parang ay, bakla, tapos biglang naging straight. May ganung ideyang naitatatak sa utak.”
When this narrative is repeated enough, it starts to feel like the truth. Queerness becomes framed as a temporary state, something you will, or should, outgrow.
“Kapag paulit-ulit nilang nakikita na ang pagiging bakla ay phase lang,” Neo explains, “mas mahihirapan silang i-embrace ang sarili nila. Mahihirapan silang i-express ang gender identity at gender expression nila kasi maiimprint sa utak nila na mali yung ginagawa nila—na bawal, na lilipas lang.”
Think Before You Clique
In the fast-paced world of social media, it’s easy to dismiss a trending video as just for laughs, a trend, or a fleeting moment in a never-ending scroll. We join the clique, follow the format, and move on. But for queer activist Neo, these "fleeting moments" are leaving a lasting, damaging footprint on the uphill battle for LGBTQIA+ rights in the Philippines.
"The internet makes it seem so easy to say it’s just a joke," Ice explains. "But while we're laughing, we're actually making it harder to pass the SOGIE Equality Bill. We are already struggling to educate people in a landscape na puno ng trolls at mga grupong ang tanging gusto lang ay mang rage-bait," Neo shares. “Kaya sa mga content creators, kailangan din nating mapanuri sa mga trend na ginawaga natin.”
When a trend like the 'factory reset' goes viral, it doesn't stay on TikTok. It becomes ammunition for those who argue that queer identities are merely "behavioral choices" or "phases" that can be corrected, which gives power to a narrative that lawmakers use to justify the continued delay of protective legislation.
Where Is the SOGIE Equality Bill Right Now?
The persistence of trends that frame queerness as a “phase” can’t be separated from the reality that LGBTQIA+ Filipinos still lack national legal protection. The SOGIE Equality Bill, which seeks to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, has been refiled in Congress for over two decades and remains unpassed.
While versions of the bill have moved through the House of Representatives, it continues to stall in the Senate, delayed by committee reviews and opposition from conservative groups. As of the current Congress, the measure is once again pending, despite repeated calls from advocates and lawmakers to finally pass it into law.
This legislative limbo matters. Without a national anti-discrimination law, queer Filipinos remain vulnerable—especially young people consuming content online that suggests their identities are temporary, negotiable, or something to “grow out of.” In that context, viral jokes aren’t just jokes; they exist alongside a system that still refuses to fully protect queer lives.
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